New hard drive

[D_Hailsham]

My existing hard drive is running out of space and is rather slow, so I am thinking of getting a new one. There is a lot on my PC - programs and data and I don't want to lose any of it.

Are there any programs which will allow me to transfer everything from one disk to the other, so the new disk will then boot up into Windows and I have all my programs and data intact?

 

[Diyisfun]

PC Mover has a lot of good reviews
http://www.howtotransferfiles.com/

 

[Monsterminty]

norton ghost, the only norton product worth using.

Norton ghost

or

http://www.3alternatives.com/3-free-alternatives-norton-ghost

some free alternatives (not tested them yet)

 

[D_Hailsham]

Thanks for the suggestions. The two drives I have are a Seagate and a Maxtor, which is part of Seagate, so I did a search of the Seagate website and they have a free product called Disk Wizard which seems to do the job. So I will give it a try before shelling out money on Norton Ghost.

 

[timtheenchanter]

what version of windows are you running? 7 (and I think vista) have an imaging utility built in, works fine for me (not as good for storing a recovery image, it doesn't seem to compress)

 

[Coaster]

Just a suggestion, you could keep the old drive in and add the new hdd. That way you could additionally system image to the second hdd for backing up etc.. Besides extra storage. If you have the room for to fit an extra hdd that is.

 

[TheRunningMan]

My existing hard drive is running out of space and is rather slow, so I am thinking of getting a new one. There is a lot on my PC - programs and data and I don't want to lose any of it.

Are there any programs which will allow me to transfer everything from one disk to the other, so the new disk will then boot up into Windows and I have all my programs and data intact?

I would buy a new hard drive and use that as your main drive. Take this as an opportunity to re-install your OS and all your programs. It'll give you a nice fresh feel to your system and hopefully keep out all the rubbish that will have accumulated over time.

 

[RedHerring2]

I'd go for an portable external HD. 1 or 2 TB for less than £100, and easily transferable to other PCs.